Roses and Oranges
by Violetrose93
Summary: May is invited to Solidad's 21st birthday party and runs into Drew. After a mishap involving a hedge maze and a fountain, May's finally had it with Drew. But when she gives him a piece of her mind, his repsonse shocks her. Contetshipping oneshot.


_So, this is my first attempt at a oneshot. I'd really appreciate constructive criticism, so please review! I hope you like it_

"Wow," May murmured, taking in the elegant ballroom. When she had received her invitation to Solidad's 21st birthday party, she had expected a small, subdued affair with just close friends. Apparently, Solidad's family had had other ideas. A sea of white tables ringed a circular dance floor, the blonde wood reflecting the light from a half dozen dazzling crystal chandeliers.

On the dance floor, May spotted the birthday girl, looking absolutely gorgeous in a floor length down the color of ivory. Her long, coral colored hair was twisted into an elegant up-do that was studded with tiny diamonds shaped like flowers.

Solidad was dancing with a tall, red haired man in a white shirt and black pants. May had never met Solidad's fiancé personally, but from everything she had told May, Lance was a great guy.

May's heart twisted slightly. She wanted to go up and say hi to Solidad, but she didn't want to interrupt. Most of the other party guests were coordinators Solidad had met during her travels, so May was a bit of an outsider.

After standing around awkwardly for a few minutes, May slipped out onto the balcony, thankful for the silence. She went to the edge of the railing and looked out over the gardens, wondering at the complexity of the huge hedge maze. For a while, she just stood there, taking in the view. She had been traveling on her own for a while, and although she had grown tremendously as a coordinator, she still missed Ash and Brock, and, although she'd never admit it, her brother. Lost in fond memories of her Hoenn travels, May almost didn't notice the solitary figure slip into the hedge maze.

"What the . . ?" May murmured quietly. But the shock of sea green hair was hard to mistake. May's heart gave another lurch, and she had the insane urge to go into the maze after Drew. She hadn't seen him in months, ever since she finished her last Sinnoh circuit. When she asked Solidad if he was coming, the older girl just shrugged and said he hadn't responded either way.

For some reason, May's feet seemed intent on carrying her into the maze, and before she knew it, she was surrounded by towering walls of plant life on all sides. It was eerily quiet in the maze, the sounds from the party completely diminished.

As May came to a fork, she paused. She didn't know which way Drew had gone, and she was more likely to get lost herself than find him.

"This was such a stupid idea," May muttered, looking back and forth between the separate paths.

"Yeah, probably," a voice agreed from behind, startling her. May spun around to see Drew leaning against a hedge, his body almost completely veiled in shadows.

"I wouldn't go that way," Drew said, tilted his head toward the right path. "Your blue haired friend's making out with some guy. It's pretty gross, actually."

"Who?" May asked, her eyes lighting up in curiosity. Drew shrugged and started making his way down the left path. May followed him, waiting for an answer.

"He's a trainer, I think. Purple hair, black eyes, kind of angry looking?" Drew offered, shrugging again.

"Paul?" May asked incredulously, stopping short in the middle of the path. "Paul Shinji?"

"I guess," Drew said, staring off into the distance.

"Ugh," May groaned. Drew's gaze snapped to her.

He asked, "What are you doing here anyway?"

"Oh, well . . ." May paused. "Actually, I saw you, so I thought I'd say hi. I haven't seen you in a while."

The path opened up into a small stone courtyard centered around a fountain. The white marble gleamed softly in the moonlight, and the rushing water was soothing after the uproar of the party.

"Yeah, well, I had to go home to La Rousse for a while." Drew sat on the edge of the fountain, staring at his shoes. May smiled slyly and sat down next to him.

"I get it. You couldn't show your face for a while, not after that thrashing I gave you in the Grand Festival."

Drew scowled at her. "Oh, please. You only won because the time ran out."

May stuck her tongue out at him. "You're just a sore loser."

Drew laughed. "How many times did I beat your before that, huh? Let's see, Hoenn, Kanto, Johto, Sinnoh—"

"Shut up," May laughed, nudging him with her shoulder. Drew nudged her back, which started a small war between the two. Things only ended when May, whose silky dress didn't get much traction on the smooth stone, went sliding backwards into the water.

May surfaced coughing and spluttering, and almost immediately, her body began to shake from the icy water. Drew looked stricken and immediately jumped in as well.

"What'd you do that for?" May asked, trying to quiet the violent shudders now racking her body.

"It was an accident," Drew panted as he lifted her out of the water. "Here." He stripped off his jacket, which was still relatively dry, and held it out so she could slip her arms in.

"Thanks," May said, her teeth chattering. The jacket helped though, and she stopped shaking enough so that they could walk back to the ballroom.

"Next time," May said, shivering as the wind picked up, "we'll sit somewhere safer. Like a bench."

"With your luck, you'll probably fall off and get a concussion," Drew said sarcastically.

"Yeah, well, maybe if someone hadn't pushed me—"

"I didn't _push_ you, you fell. Probably because you're so clumsy.

"Oh, now I'm the clumsy one?"

"You've _always_ been the clumsy one."

"Yeah, well, it's better than being a conceited know-it-all."

"At least I know how to keep my balance."

"Arrogant jerk."

"Ditzy airhead."

May flinched and looked away. "Whatever," she muttered and walked away, forgetting for a moment she was wearing his jacket. She tore it off and thrust it out towards him.

"Keep it," Drew said, something akin to regret playing across his face.

"I'd rather freeze," May spat, and threw it at him. She turned around and started walking swiftly towards the stairs, wanting nothing more than to make it to the bathroom before she started crying.

"May, wait," Drew said, running to catch up to her. He draped the jacket over her shoulders. "You're not giving yourself pneumonia on my account."

May tried to take the jacket off, but Drew grabbed her by the shoulders, turning her so they were standing face to face.

"Let go," May said angrily.

"No. Hear me out. I didn't mean it, about you being an airhead."

"Sure sounded like it," May grumbled, but she stopped trying to get away.

"Did you mean what you said, about me being an arrogant jerk?" Drew asked suddenly.

May looked down. "Well, we all know you have a bit of an ego problem—" Drew laughed softly, "but you're not really a jerk. Most of the time."

"Thanks for the glowing endorsement," Drew said sarcastically.

"Can you let go now?" May asked. Drew seemed to realize he was still holding her by the shoulders. His hands dropped to his side.

"Come on, you should get inside before you really do catch pneumonia.

Back inside the hall, Drew quickly found a small chamber off the main ballroom. Solidad, who had burst into laughter at May's soaked, bedraggled appearance, had lent her some spare clothes. May was curled up on a couch, still wrapped in Drew's jacket, watching as he struggled to light a fire.

May tried to smother a laugh, but failed, eliciting a glare from Drew.

"If you're so smart, why don't you light the fire," he snapped, throwing the kindling and lighter down. He stalked over and sat next to May. "I'm waiting."

"I would, but I think I might have hypothermia. You know, because some idiot pushed me into a fountain?"

Drew's face softened slightly, but still held its patented sarcasm.

"I apologized, I gave you my coat, I at least attempted to light a fire. What more do want from me?"

_A lot more_. The thought sent a jolt of shock through May. _I didn't say that out loud, did I?_ May wondered frantically.

"You're right. When my toes turn blue and fall off, I'm sure they'll appreciate your _attempts_ to start a fire." May tried to mask her confusion with teasing, although Drew seemed to notice something was up.

"What's wrong?" He asked, genuine concern creasing his face. May looked away.

"Nothing. Just tired, I guess," she lied, hoping he couldn't tell. Unfortunately, Drew wasn't dumb.

"You're lying," he said bluntly, putting a hand on her shoulder. "What's bothering you?"

"You, okay?" May snapped, jerked away from his touch. Drew looked surprised at the vehemence in her voice, even a little hurt.

"I'm sick of this. Sometimes we're friends, sometimes we're enemies, I can never tell. It's too damn confusing," she shouted, unable to reign her emotions in. "I never know what to expect from you."

"Is that what this is about? The fact I tease you?" Drew asked, his voice growing louder too.

"Yes! No! I don't know," she whispered, slumping backwards. May buried her face in her hands. "Just go away," she said tiredly.

"No."

"Oh my God, just go away!" May yelled, raising her head to glare at him.

Drew kissed her, one hand on her wrist, another around her waist. For a second, shock rendered May immobile. And then she kissed him back, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him closer. May's entire face seemed to be on fire, strange, tingling fire that traveled down her body, all the way to her the aforementioned toes.

When they finally broke apart, May was breathing heavily and Drew's face was flushed.

"I'm not going anywhere," he whispered, running a hand through her hair. May hid her face in the crook of his neck, inhaling deeply.

"You smell like oranges," she murmured, and Drew chucked softly.

"You smell like roses," he whispered back, and May felt him tuck something behind her ear. Her hand came up, and her fingers met the soft, velvety feel of rose petals.


End file.
